Catch Her When She Falls
by IndigoEagle123
Summary: Crystal's dream has always been to attend Ashton Academy, and she won't let Gold get in the way. Shippings: Mangaquest, Special, Frantic, Oldrival. AU.
1. The Academy

**Hi! This is my first story! I love the characters from Pokespe, and I've wanted to write about them for a while. This story will mostly be from Crystal's POV, but I might have a few chapters be told from the POVs of other characters. Please, please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please know the difference between an insult and a helpful comment.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

 **Here are the ages of the characters:**

 **Crystal: 15**

 **Gold: 15**

 **Yellow: almost 16**

 **Red: almost 17**

 **Green (boy): 17**

 **Blue (girl): 17**

 **Ruby: 15**

 **Sapphire: 14 and a half**

 **Enjoy! :)**

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 **Crystal**

 _Briiing!_

My alarm clock rang out, filling my small room with a loud and annoying noise. My eyes fluttered open sleepily, and my hand reached out and slammed down on the snooze button. It was still dark outside, and the blinking, illuminated numbers on my alarm clock flashed 5:00 AM. I was normally up bright and early, but I hadn't slept well last night because of the writhing pit of nervousness in my stomach.

Why had I been so nervous? It was because today—tonight to be exact—was the day I would finally get the letter telling me whether or not I had made it into the high school I needed badly to get into: the Ashton Academy of Education.

Ashton was the most elite of all high schools, a boarding school considered the best in the entire world. It went far above and beyond what other high schools taught, striving for a deeper understanding of the world. It was a ticket to all the best colleges, and was where many of today's brightest minds had gone to high school.

Needless to say, it was very hard to get into, especially for people like me.

It wasn't that my family was so poor that we didn't have enough food to eat or anything. We weren't even really that poor. We just had less money than most other families, and neither of my parents had ever gone to college. Also, the majority of the students at Ashton were children of _very_ wealthy families. It was uncommon for students from less wealthy families to get into Ashton. I had estimated that only 1 out of 100 less wealthy applicants were admitted each year. My parents thought I had a good chance of getting in, but I wasn't as sure.

I guess I could have been considered the valedictorian of my 8th grade class. I had maintained a perfect 4.00 grade point average for three years straight, had gone far above and beyond the required amount of community service hours, and had won the national middle school championships with my varsity volleyball team. I had also won first in the national science fair and had placed second in a writing competition.

Unfortunately, if I didn't get into Ashton, none of this would matter. I would go to a public high school, and then probably end up at a community college because my parents couldn't afford to send me to a good college. There's really nothing wrong with a community college, and I don't really blame my parents, but the sad truth is that "community college" doesn't look as good on your job application.

I pushed these thoughts out of my mind as I got up from my bed. After all, it was no use getting stressed out about things you can't control. I had done my very best to get into Ashton, and whether or not I got in was now in the hands of whoever judged the application essays. I just hoped they wouldn't accept bribery, because then I would never get in. I had heard of the many rich families who had pulled strings in order to get their kids in. I just hoped that this year, there wouldn't be as many strings to pull.

I walked slowly down the creaky stairs of my house towards the dining room, from which the smell of breakfast wafted. As usual, my dad was up before me.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, getting out a plate.

My dad turned around to smile at me, "your favorite."

I grinned, imagining the melty deliciousness of chocolate chip pancakes, but wondered why he was making them. We didn't have any kind of pancakes often. We usually ate packaged oatmeal or nothing at all, "What's the occasion?"

My dad looked surprised that I didn't know, "My daughter getting into Ashton, of course!"

My grin faltered. Both of my parents were so sure I was going to get in, but there was a good chance that I wouldn't. I dreaded seeing the looks of horrible disappointment on their faces when I opened the letter and told them I didn't get in.

The look on my face did not go unnoticed by my dad, and he tried to comfort me, "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure you'll get in."

He didn't know that what he was saying was exactly what I didn't want to hear.

I exhaled slowly, and helped myself to a few pancakes. The food I had so been looking forward to was tasteless and dry in my mouth as I thought with dread about getting the letter. I knew that the moment I opened and read the letter would either be the best day of my life or the worst.

My dad's face softened, "Why don't we go out someplace later," he suggested. "It'll help take your mind off of things."

"Can't," I told him. "I already promised White I would teach her some volleyball techniques. She's been badgering me for weeks."

White was my cousin. She was a year younger than me, and I think she really looked up to me. She would be yet another person I would disappoint if I didn't get into Ashton.

I finished eating, washed off my plate in the sink, and headed up to my room to get dressed. I put on a tee-shirt and a pair of volleyball shorts, and pulled my shiny, black hair into my signature two pigtails. I grabbed my volleyball and a water bottle, and headed out, yelling out a goodbye to my parents before closing the door behind. Like me, White liked to be awake before the sun, and it was she who had suggested meeting at 6:30 AM.

I climbed onto my bike, which was how I got pretty much everywhere, strapped on my helmet, and pedaled down the empty street towards the gym.

When I arrived, White was already there, her shiny waves of dark brown hair pulled up in a ponytail that spilled out from underneath her pink baseball cap. She looked up as I came in.

"You okay, Crys?" She looked at her watch in concern. "You're two minutes late."

"I had a rough night last night," I explained.

"Were you nervous about the letter?"

There was no point in lying, "yes."

"Oh," White was silent for a moment before perking up again, "you ready to play?"

I nodded and smiled in appreciation. I knew White was curious about the letter, but she had kindly held in her curiosity in order to help take my mind off of the issue. I set down my water bottle and jogged onto the court.

Volleyball really did help me forget about the letter. We spent the next few hours bumping the ball over the net and cracking up about stupid things. I promised myself that if I didn't get into Ashton, I would do this more often.

We were laughing about the volleyball hitting White in the head and knocking her hat off when White's phone suddenly rang. She grabbed it and then offered it to me, "It's your mom."

My parents couldn't afford a phone for me, so whenever they needed to get in touch, they called my friends. I was always embarrassed when this happened, especially when my mom was calling about some stupid thing like winning free mascara.

I took the phone, and, as tempted as I was to just not answer, I held it up to my ear, "Hello?"

"Crystal?" My mom said in a high, yet trembling voice, "A letter just got delivered to you in a special truck, hours ahead of all the other mail…"

My blood went cold, and I briefly wondered whether I was just imagining the call.

"Honey, the letter is stamped with the Ashton seal!"

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 **Well, I think the first chapter was... okay. I guess it could've been longer... Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**


	2. The Letter

**I'm back with chapter two! Unfortunately, it's a little bit shorter, but I feel like the next chapter will be pretty long, so hopefully they'll balance each other out. I'd love to know what you like or dislike about the story so far, or if you have any suggestions or improvements. If you do, review. Thanks and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokemon**

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Crystal

"What?!" I cried out, suddenly panicked. The letter couldn't already be here! It was only eleven in the morning! "Are you sure you don't have the wrong letter?"

My mom hesitated, and I guessed that she was examining the letter, "I'm positive. It's addressed to _you,_ Crystal, not to me or your father. Hurry up and come home so we can open it!"

She promptly hung up, and I stood there for a moment, staring at the phone, before White spurred me into action. She must have overheard the whole conversation.

"C'mon, Crys, go!" She said, handing me my volleyball. "Hurry!"

I grabbed my stuff and raced to my bike, calling out a quick goodbye to White before I left. I speedily put on my helmet and pedaled toward home as fast as I could.

When, I got to the house, I pretty much jumped off my bike, not bothering to prop it against something, and ran to the house.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home," I called. They were waiting for me in the living room, and my dad handed me the letter.

"Open it! Open it!" My mom cried out. Sometimes she could be a little impatient.

I looked down at the crisp, white envelope, sealed shut with the bright red seal of Ashton. My stomach suddenly lurched. I knew that what was inside of the letter would decide my destiny. I wasn't sure I wanted to see what was inside.

"You open it," I said weakly, handing the letter to my dad.

"Somebody open it!" my mom shouted anxiously.

My dad looked at the letter and handed it back to me,

"Honey, I can't open this for you. It's yours. Opening the letter is your job."

I sighed and grabbed the letter. Slowly, I used my finger to break the seal on the envelope. I pulled out a smooth piece of thick paper. On it, someone had written in surprisingly neat handwriting. I began to read the letter silently.

"Read it out loud!" my mom screamed, filled with impatience.

I began to read,

 _"_ _Dear Miss Crystal Haverly,_

 _Because of your exceptional performance at your middle school, we are proud to tell you that you have been accepted into the Ashton Academy of Higher Education. Ashton was honored to have such a diligent and hardworking student submit an application, and we were thoroughly impressed with your essay and test scores._

 _However, we wanted to be sure to tell you that this year, for the first time, Ashton will be charging an entrance fee. The price will be different depending on factors such as where you live and what your parents' combined incomes are, but we estimate that the price will be between 10,000 and 15,000 a year. This will include food, clothing, books, and all other materials you would need. We hope to see you at Ashton next week!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Prof. Oak, Principal of Ashton Academy."_

I finished the letter to dead silence. We all just stared at each other for a second. I had made it in, but in the end, it hadn't mattered. We could never afford to pay that much a year. We probably couldn't afford to pay that much for all four years. All I had done had been for nothing.

"Cryst—" my dad started, but I stood up abruptly, cutting him off.

"I'm going up to my room," I announced in a hoarse whisper. "Please don't follow me. I want to be alone."

I walked up the stairs slowly, my dreams crumbling to dust behind me. I didn't want to be in front of my parents when I cried.

I lay in my bed for what seemed like hours, wallowing in self-pity. I knew feeling sorry for myself wouldn't change anything, but I just couldn't help myself. It wasn't fair! Never before had Ashton had an entrance fee. It wasn't fair that I had worked so hard to get in, only to be stopped by the issue of money. It was really just bad luck, anyways. If I had been born to two different parents… No. It was no use thinking about that. Whenever I did, I felt like a traitor to my parents. They hadn't done anything wrong. They were just less fortunate.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Go away!" I shouted irritably.

"Crystal," It was my dad, and the tone of his voice was surprisingly urgent. "You need to see this."

"Go away," I repeated. He wasn't going to trick me into coming out of my room. How naïve did he think I was?

"Fine," my dad said. "I'll slide it under the door. It fell out of your letter."

My heart hurt at the mention of the letter and Ashton, but I looked up as a folded piece of shiny, golden paper slid under the door. I picked it up without getting out of bed, because my bedroom was so small that my bed was right next to the door. I unfolded it slowly, wondering what it could be. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than the news the letter had brought.

In the same neat handwriting as before were written the following words:

 _Dear Miss Haverly,_

 _I am pleased to announce you are one of five students chosen to be part of our scholarship program. This program, which is incredibly hard to get into, offers full scholarships to five students throughout all four years at Ashton. We are pleased to offer you the fifth spot in the program. Please accept or decline before starting school._

 _Congratulations,_

 _Prof. Oak, Principal_

I stared at the note, wondering for a few moments whether this was a trick, before jumping up and running down to the living room, the biggest smile spreading across my face despite my attempts to conceal it.

"Mom?! Dad?!" My dad looked up just as I barreled into his arms, still grinning stupidly, "I'm going to Ashton!"

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 **So...yeah. Chapter Two. In case you're wondering, Crystal has a British last name because most of the story will be located at Ashton, which is located in the country of a land that isn't the UK, but is based off of it. Most of the character will end up with English last names.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has read my story so far. I really, really appreciate it. However, I still haven't gotten any reviews and I would really like some feedback on my story, so if you could let me know what you think so far, or tell me what I should improve, that would be great. I'd like to get two reviews before I post the next chapter.**


	3. Arrival

**I'm back with chapter three! Just to warn you guys, this whole story will be pretty long, though I'm not sure how long. A few other characters will be introduced in this chapter...**

 **Also, I'd really like to thank my first reviewer, xXxCrimsonxMoonxXx. I hope you like this chapter XD!**

 **Enjoy and Review!**

 **Disclaimer:** **Sadly, I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

-1 week later-

Crystal

I rolled my suitcase hurriedly along the smooth floor of the airport, heading towards a terminal where a private jet would pick me up, along with nine others. After I had said goodbye to my parents and White at least a hundred times, and had promised I'd write to them a thousand more times, I had finally gone through security, leaving them teary eyed on the other side.

It was because of them that I had to hurry in order to get something to eat before the plane left. Now I hurried to the nearest restaurant and ordered the first thing I saw (which happened to be a hamburger and fries) and at it while walking to the terminal.

But just as I was getting to the gate where the plane was, a guy about my age, with a yellow and black hat and crazy black hair, barreled into me, sending my fries flying in every direction. A few of them landed on people nearby, and they turned to glare at me. I looked towards the guy who had spilled them, but he had just kept going, not bothering to help clean up or even to apologize.

"Rude idiot," I muttered under my breath, bending over to pick up the fries. The airport had strict rules about picking up garbage, and I didn't want to get in trouble.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a short girl with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and big, innocent, brown eyes said to me, kneeling down to help me. "He's just really excited."

"Was that guy your brother?" I asked the girl.

"Stepbrother," she corrected me. "He's just starting at Ashton this year."

"Oh, I am, too," I told her, secretly hoping that I didn't have any classes with her brother.

"Really? I'm just starting my second year there."

"Oh," I said, throwing away the fries and standing up, all while doing the math in my head. This innocent looking girl was _older_ than me!

"I'm Yellow," she held out a hand. I took it. "My stepbrother is Gold."

"Crystal," I introduced myself. We walked towards our gate, where they were already boarding the plane. I showed the flight attendant my ticket and passport, and sat down at my assigned seat in the small, yet fancy plane. Yellow sat next to me. Gold was across from me. He looked at me briefly, and a tiny spark of recognition flashed in his eyes. I glared at him before turning to stare at the plane.

I had only been in one once before, and it hadn't been anything like this one. All the seats were facing away from the windows, towards the middle. They reclined back to become like beds, and little televisions popped out from the armrest. Flight attendants came by with food and drinks on a platter, and gave everyone blankets, pillows, and free bags full of sample toiletries, sleepmasks, and other assorted equipment.

Yellow noticed my amazement, "have you ever been in first class before?"

I shook my head.

"I was amazed too when I first got here. This is only my third time."

"What's Ashton like?" I asked.

"It's just as beautiful as it's said to be and the classes are great. But it is in the middle of nowhere, so when you're there, you're pretty much isolated from the rest of the world. Also, every year, the school gets more and more students from rich families are admitted. This year, they'll probably be even more because of the entrance fee," Yellow looked unsure for a moment. "I mean, not all wealthy people are bad. Some of them are nice. It's just that…"

"I get it," I told her. "Most of them were brought up differently. When you're around them, it seems like they're looking down at you."

Yellow nodded, "Out of everyone at Ashton, I only know one girl who doesn't act like that, and even though she isn't rude or anything, sometimes you can tell she grew up in a different world."

We were silent for a while, and I scrolled through the movies, choosing the one with the highest ratings.

An hour later, we arrived at the private airstrip on the side of Ashton. I blinked sunlight from my eyes as I walked down the stairs on the side of the plane and stepped onto the hard concrete of the runway. I looked around. As far as I could see, green country stretched out. Besides a forest on my left and a lake on my right, it was mostly trees.

"Crys," I turned towards Yellow… and my eyes landed on Ashton.

It was _huge._ I knew it was big, but in real life, the school was five times the size I had imagined it to be. It was also very pretty. It was a big, brick building with ivy curling its green tendrils around every brick. It had many windows, each with a flowerpot outside growing brightly colored plants. Its doors were arched, with columns lining them. Ashton looked more like a fancy college than a high school.

"Wait until you see the inside," Yellow whispered.

A bored looking flight attendant walked down the stairs towards us, "If you're new, go through that door. Everyone else, just go to your building."

Yellow waved to me and wished me good luck before heading in the opposite direction as me with a few other students. I headed towards the door the flight attendant had pointed at with the other four new students, wondering what she had meant by "building". Gold hung back from the others to walk with me, much to my displeasure.

"Uh, sorry for running into you earlier," he said.

"It's a little late to apologize now," I told him, speeding up. Unfortunately, his legs were longer, and he easily kept pace.

"Aw, no it isn't."

"That's your opinion," I responded stiffly. "It's not mine."

"Are you always this serious? It was just an accident!"

"Are you always this much of an annoying jerk?" I glared at him. "When you make a mistake, you fix it, you don't just ignore it."

"I am fixing it right now, and you won't accept my apology. It isn't my fault you're prejudiced, Super Serious Gal."

" _What did you just call me?!"_ I shouted. The other students turned to stare. I felt my cheeks get hot with rage. Who did this idiot think he was? What a rich snob. "And I am not prejudiced!"

Gold just grinned at me, "you're cute when you're mad."

" _What?!_ I can't believe you!"

"So will you go out with me?"

"Really?!" I yelled, wondering if that was the only reason he had bothered to apologize. "Did you really just ask me that?"

"yup."

"I would never go out with a rude pervert like you!"

Gold actually looked a little hurt, "I'm not a pervert."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm _not."_

I didn't answer.

"I'm not a pervert."

"Sure," I said.

"I'm actually a pretty cool guy," Gold said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Not to mention attractive."

I shrugged him off and glared, "Okay, you just totally crossed into my space bubble."

"Space bubble?" Gold looked confused.

I sighed loudly, "don't tell me you don't know what a space bubble is. It's an invisible line around me, and you're not allowed to cross it."

"Too bad I'm a rule breaker," Gold winked at me and took a step closer. I shuddered and pushed him away, but stopped when I realized I was being a hypocrite,

"leave me alone, you perv—"

"Is there a problem, Miss Haverly," a cool, authoritative voice interrupted, silencing me. I looked up to see that we were in front of the entrance to Ashton. A relatively young, tall, and slender brunette was there at the door, her long, thick hair flowing past her shoulders. "I am Ms. Roxanne, a Language Arts teacher here at Ashton. As you'll soon learn, I won't tolerate any… funny business."

She fixed me with a glare, an evil look in her beady, black eyes. I blushed under her gaze, mortified. Thanks to Gold, I had made a horrible first impression.

"Please follow me inside," Roxanne pushed open the great doors and walked inside of Ashton, calling over her shoulder. "We'll meet with the other new students, and I'll tell you everything you need to know about Ashton."

I followed her silently, stepping past the door and into the school. My eyes widened. If it was possible, it was more beautiful and sophisticated than the outside.

I had walked into a huge, open room. Hallways stretched out in all directions, and a spiral staircase led to a second floor. The floors were polished marble, and light shone its speckled light through the many windows. Desks, reclining chairs, and couches lined a gigantic and beautifully woven Turkish carpet. Many other students who I guessed were new sat on the assorted furniture. Ms. Roxanne gestured for us to sit with them.

I sat as far away from Gold as I could, on a couch next to a pretty brunette with unbrushed hair, deep blue eyes, and a fierce look on her face.

Ms. Roxanne opened her mouth to speak, and it was déjà vu because I had been dreaming of this moment for so long,

"Welcome to Ashton."

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 **The ending to this chapter is...eh, but I knew that if I didn't end soon the chapter would end up being way too long. I'm pretty sure I'll have some parts of the story told in other characters' POVs, but I need the story to be in Crystal's POV while I'm still getting everything in place.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you thought or whose POV you want the story told in the most in a review :)**


	4. Of Buddies and Housemates

**I'm (finally) back! I've been meaning to upload the next chapter sooner, but… school happened.**

 **In this chapter, a few more characters will be introduced. I tried to put in as many new characters as I could, but I didn't want to rush things (if that makes any sense at all…). I'm hoping that all the main characters will be introduced by next chapter.**

 **Also, I want to apologize for all the editing I had to do to the last chapter after it was published. You might have noticed that Ashford Academy was changed to Ash** ** _ton_** **Academy. This happened because I had absolutely no idea Ashford was the name of the school in** ** _Code Geass._** **I changed the name to avoid confusion.**

 **Well… enjoy the story! Oh, and don't forget to review/fav/follow!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Pokémon**

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Chapter Four

 **Crystal**

I stared at her, eyes full of wonder. I didn't move, blink, or breathe for as long as I could. I still wasn't sure if this was a dream, but if it was, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to stay in the big room for ever, surrounded by all the other students and listening to a real Ashton teacher talk about her school. About _my_ school.

"A very successful tradition at Ashton is to separate all of our students into three different groups, which we refer to as teams. Each team is named after an animal on our school crest: lynx, eagle, or wolf. Each team has separate team leaders, extracurricular activities, and sports teams. I'm here to separate you into those teams."

I heard some of the students nearby whispering to each other, and the blue-eyed brunette next to me muttered something under her breath that I didn't catch. The hand of a well-dressed boy wearing a white hat shot into the air. Ms. Roxanne looked at him questioningly, a little irritated at being interrupted,

"What?"

"I also heard something about a buddy system?" the guy said questioningly.

"I was getting to that," Ms. Roxanne glared at the guy with the white hat before turning towards the rest of us. "At Ashton we have a tradition of randomly pairing up two students. These two students will meet up a few times a month to discuss their feelings and experiences at the school."

A few students scoffed at this, including the girl next to me. I had to admit, I was a little dubious as well. The whole buddy system seemed too much like something from preschool.

Ms. Roxanne silenced everyone with a look, "I know it seems like something for younger kids, but our older students always end up giving it a thumbs up. They say that their buddies helped them adjust better."

The boy wearing the white hat raised his hand again, "But doesn't the buddy system kind of discourage the idea of making more than one friend?"

"The system isn't meant to stop you from making more than one friends, it just helps you get a head start with making friends in general, if that makes sense," Ms. Roxanne responded.

The guy nodded, "Can we choose our buddy?"

"It's random, as I said before. I'll be drawing straws."

A bunch of the students groaned.

"But most people would feel more comfortable with someone they already know," the guy with the white hat said.

"Some people don't know anyone," Ms. Roxanne countered, now obviously annoyed at the boy. "This school has been around far longer than you have. You'd think we'd have figured out the best way to do things by now.

As an afterthought, she added, "And it would probably be best if you learned not to question your instructors. We don't care how important you are to the outside world. Inside Ashford, you're just the same as everyone else. You being a Duke or a Duchess or a Noble or even the Crown Prince doesn't matter to us. After all, it won't change your grades."

The guy shrugged and didn't raise his hand again, and I relaxed fractionally, a tiny weight removed from my back. I had been a little worried about how I would be treated at Ashford compared to the other, richer students, but what Ms. Roxanne had said had erased most of my doubts.

I straightened my back and turned towards the dark haired teacher, who had started talking again, "Now, if you'd all listen up, I'll tell you how I'm going to sort you into your teams," she walked towards a table in the center of the room, where three large cups filled with straws sat. "All of the girls' names are in one cup, and all the boys' names are in the other. The last cup has the three teams in it. I'll draw a straw from each cup, and that will decide your buddy and team.

She looked at us all for a moment with her beady, black eyes, just to make sure we were all still paying attention, "If you and your buddy are on the Eagle Team, go down the hallway on your left. If you're on Lynx, go right. If you're on the Wolf Team, go straight. Everybody got it?

We all nodded, and, satisfied for now, Ms. Roxanne drew the first straws, "Sapphire… and Ruby… are on the Wolf Team!"

The brunette next to me and the well-dressed boy wearing the white hat looked at each other and walked down the hallway straight ahead. Ms. Roxanne drew the next straws.

Many minutes later, there were only five people left in the room: Ms. Roxanne, a girl, a boy, Gold, and I. I crossed my fingers as Ms. Roxanne drew the next straws. I _really_ didn't want to be stuck with Gold for my buddy.

But, to my horror, the names on the next two straws were not mine… or Gold's!

The other pair got up and walked towards the left hallway, leaving me behind with Gold, who was smirking at me annoyingly.

Ms. Roxanne drew the last three straws, "Crystal… and Gold. You're both Wolves."

I sighed, stood up, and walked straight forward down the hallway, doing my best to ignore Gold completely.

 **Still Crystal**

"Oh, hi! You must be my roommate."

I was standing in front of the door of House W10, the house I had been assigned to.

After I was assigned to the Wolf Team, some Seniors took me, Gold, and the other new Wolves on a tour of what they called Wolf Territory. Apparently, Ashton's campus was split into thirds, with each third being the "territory" of one of the different teams. Where all the territories collided was the actual school. Each Territory had its own parks, sports facilities, and Houses. Houses were where the students lived.

After the tour, we had been given our schedules and House numbers, and had been sent off to meet the people we would be sharing a house with. I had just made it to my house, and was just knocking on the door. The blue-eyed brunette I had sat next to before answered.

"Hi," I responded, "Yeah, I think we _are_ roommates."

"C'mon in," she held open the door, then closed it behind me, holding out a hand. "I'm Sapphire Birch, by the way."

"Crystal Haverly…" I trailed off as I looked around me. I wasn't able to see the outside of the building I was staying in because it was already dark, (though I had been able to tell the house was large) but the inside was just as amazing as the school had been.

It was cozy, yet at the same time spacious. On my left was a large kitchen, and to my right was an even bigger living room, with a huge, cushioned sofa and a fancy, handmade carpet. In front of me was a wide, marble staircase that led up to at least two different floors, and on the other side of the kitchen I could see a wooden table and a chandelier in the dining room. It was as if I had stepped right into a castle from a fairytale.

"What is it?" Sapphire asked, looking a little confused by my amazement.

"This is all just so…" I trailed off again, unable to find the words to describe the luxury of the place around me.

"Oh," a look of understanding was in Sapphire's eyes. "Yeah. It is beautiful, isn't it. Sometimes I just don't notice because I've grown up on campus."

"You grew up _here_?!"

"Yeah," As Sapphire talked, she began to look a little embarrassed and… uncomfortable? "My dad's a Professor. He teaches here."

"Wow!"

"So do you wanna meet your other housemates?" Sapphire asked.

"There are others?" It didn't escape my notice that Sapphire had changed the subject, but I didn't push it.

"You didn't think we'd get this whole place to ourselves did ya?" Sapphire grinned and turned towards the stairs. "Hey, Blue! Come down here!"

I turned and saw a pretty, brown haired girl walking down the stairs. She grinned at me, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief, "Hey, I'm Blue Montgomery. I'm a junior. Yellow also lives here, but she's out right now. She'll be back any minute, though."

"I'm Crystal Haverly… and is Yellow a short, blonde girl?"

"Yeah," Blue looked surprised. "Do you already know her?"

"I think so. I met a blonde named Yellow on the plane."

"Yeah, that's Yellow. She told me she was flying over today."

I was glad I was already friends with one of my roommates. Sapphire was friendly, but a little wild. And although Blue seemed perfectly nice, something about that glint in her eyes made me slow to trust her.

"So, do you want a tour?" Sapphire asked eagerly.

I shrugged, "Sure."

I followed my new roommates around as they showed me all the different rooms in the house. Finally we got to my room.

It was on the same floor as Sapphire's bedroom, as we were both freshmen. And the two rooms were pretty much identical. So, in other words, both of them were amazing.

My room was huge, and had a large, four poster bed in the center of it. A desk and a table lined the walls, and a walk-in closet was on my right, already filled with all of my clothes from home, as well as some uniforms provided by the school. To my left, a glass door opened up to a balcony with a table and chairs out on it. From the balcony, I had a view of the whole campus!

"Wow!" I said for the second time, just as I heard the sound of a door opening below me. Somebody had just entered the house…

* * *

 **I know. That was a horrible cliffhanger. But I had to end the chapter there because if I didn't it would end up being too long.**

 **Sapphire's a freshman, so you're probably wondering why she already knows everybody. It's just from living on the school campus her whole life. In fact, Sapphire knows most of the older students…**

 **Well, thanks for reading, and if you want to make a suggestion or correction, or just want to share your thoughts, please feel free to leave a review!**

* * *

 **UPDATED 6/10/16**

 **Hi,**

 **I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read my story, and take the time to apologize for not being able to keep writing it. When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing. There was no plan or anything. The result was that I'm really disappointed with the chapters I've written, and am going to discontinue this story.**

 **I'm actually planning on revamping** ** _Catch Her When She Falls,_** **and hopefully I'll be able to start that this summer. Special thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed my first fanfic. I really appreciated it.**

 **Thanks everyone!**

 **-Indigo**

* * *

 **UPDATED 8/13/17**

 **I changed my mind. I started this story, and I should at least try to keep it going. My momentum was really shaken after all my writing was lost, but now I've written another chapter already! I'd just like to get a bit more written before uploading.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me! More is on the way!**

 **-Indigo :)**


	5. Meeting the Pack

**Hey, guys! I'm back at last. It's been a very long time, and I apologize for that, but I think the time off has really given me a chance to grow as writer.**

 **As you might know from the last chapter, for a long time, I was planning on discontinuing this story. However, I thought it would be wrong to just give up...so, here I am. Though I spend a lot of my time writing things that aren't fanfiction now, I still want to continue this story. So, though school has started and I'll probably be pretty tight on time, I'm going to try to keep updating whenever I can. Thank you for reading this far! I was aiming to put more time into the following chapters in order to make them longer and more engaging, and I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

"That's Yellow," Blue said, heading out of the room. "Should we go down and meet her?"

Sapphire and I shrugged and headed downstairs. It wasn't really a question.

At the bottom of the stairs, Yellow struggled to lift a huge box onto the large dining table. Sapphire leapt down the last few steps and easily hefted the box onto the table, but took a few steps back and made a disgusted face as soon as she was done,

"Aw, Yellow," Blue groaned. "Couldn't you have left it outside."

"What is it?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. Yellow looked up at the sound of my voice and grinned.

"Crystal! You're going to be our housemate!"

I smiled back at her enthusiasm.

Blue smiled a pained little smile, too, as she opened up the box. But it was for a very different reason, "Come look."

I stepped past Sapphire and peered into the box. Inside were at least a dozen thick textbooks, each of them with a sticker on the cover, reading either "Blue Montgomery" or "Yellow De Bosque Verde."

Blue turned to Sapphire and I, "Enjoy Freshman year, you two. School will only get harder." She lifted out a particularly large textbook titled, _A Junior's Guide to College._ "I've had nightmares about this book."

"Do we get textbooks, too?" I wondered.

Sapphire shot me an odd look, "You sound kind of…excited, Crys."

I shrugged, "I'm interested in learning everything I can from the school."

"A worthy goal," Blue said, and Yellow nodded. "I wish I shared it. I'm only here because my dear parents would pay everything they have before letting their dear, precious daughter associate with the peasants."

She spat the last part out bitterly, but as soon as she finished her sentence, a sunny smile crept back over her face,

"But enough about Mother and Father. After all, I won't be seeing them for as long as I can avoid it," Blue said, and I was suddenly very glad I had such a good relationship with my parents, even if my mother could be a little on the crazy side. In fact, I missed them already. "You'll get your books after orientation, tomorrow."

"I picked up fall sports packets, too," Yellow added, holding up a few packets of paper.

"Yellow, have I told you you're an angel," Blue grinned, snatching a packet out of her hand. Yellow just smiled.

Sapphire followed Blue's lead and grabbed a paper from Yellow, flipping through the pages rapidly, "This is the year the Wolves will finally beat out those Lynxes in…well, everything!"

"Of course," Blue grinned, "We have you. And… Crys, do you play any sports?"

I hesitated a moment before answering, "Not really… I mean, not seriously…"

Blue and Sapphire looked disappointed, but Yellow smiled, "That's ok, I'm not much of an athlete either, Crystal. I like art. You'd better be ready to hear a lot of sports talk, though, from the boys and from Sapphire."

"The boys?" I questioned.

Yellow opened her mouth to answer, but Blue spoke first.

"You'll see later," she said with a dismissive wink, before turning back to Sapphire. "Sapphire Birch, you can't sign up for every single sport!"

I looked back at Yellow, hoping for more information, but she just shrugged in response. I sighed,

"So what sports do you two play?" I asked Sapphire and Blue.

"Volleyball," Blue answered. "And soccer, of course."

"Blue is the Wolf Soccer Team's captain," Sapphire added. "And I'll play any sport."

"Wow, you guys are pretty serious," I commented. After all, the school year hadn't even started yet.

Blue shrugged, "I guess. It's fun and an extracurricular at the same time. And I'll never pass up an opportunity to kick some Lynx butt."

"Is there, like, a rivalry between the Wolves and the Lynxes?" I asked. Sapphire had mentioned wanting to beat the Lynx Team too.

Yellow nodded, "We're rivals over everything, but sports are the worse."

"And we have more of a reason to hate the Lynx Team than most," Blue added.

"Why?"

"Because of that bitch Scarlet Delmore," Sapphire snarled hatefully.

"She was the school mean girl last year," Blue explained. "She graduated last year, thankfully."

That didn't cover it all, according to Sapphire, "She hated Blue because she had a crush on Blue's buddy, and she thought Blue was trying to…thwart her or whatever. And because Blue beat her at everything. So she tried to ruin Blue's life however she could, which meant sending her friends after Blue's friends, us."

"That's horrible!"

Sapphire nodded, "But it's over now."

"And the teachers didn't do anything about it? I mean, that's bullying!"

Blue shook her head, "The teachers don't get involved in 'territorial disputes.' They don't want to be excused of choosing sides. If they sided with the Wolves, they'd bring all of Lynx Team down on them, as well as a couple hundred very rich and very angry parents."

"That's so stupid," I exclaimed, thinking of what Ms. Roxanne had said about not caring whether students were rich or poor. Had all of her words been lies?

Blue just shrugged, "That's just the way it is here."

"Oh," I sighed, looking at the marble floor. "I thought…it would be different here."

Yellow patted my shoulder, "Don't let them ruin Ashton for you. There are so many good things and amazing opportunities here, too. Most of the teachers are great, and we have an amazing campus. You must have seen it on your tour. You have the forest and the gardens on the Eagle-Wolf border, the Sports Center between Lynx and Wolf Territories, and the Village, too. And you have us: your housemates…and your friends, if you want."

I smiled. Yellow was right. No place was perfect. I knew that. Instead of finding flaws in my dream school, I should be appreciating all its good qualities, "You're right, Yellow. Thanks."

Yellow opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud knock that seemed to be coming from a door on the opposite side of the dining room.

"That's the boys," Blue said as Sapphire headed over to the door. "Don't open it yet. Make them wait."

"What boys?" I was still lost.

"Oh sorry, Crys," Blue said. "I forgot to explain, didn't I? Our Buddies stay in the house next to us, and there's a connecting door between them that we usually leave unlocked. Just so we can go back and forth for homework help or just hanging out or whatever. That's them now."

"Who is your buddy, Crystal?" Yellow questioned curiously.

I tried not to wince while answering, "Gold."

Yellow's eyes widened, and she exchanged a look with Blue.

Blue turned back to me, "Well, that complicates things a bit."

The knock came again, this time even louder and more insistent, and Blue sighed, leaving me very confused, "We'll have to deal with that later."

She nodded at Sapphire, and Sapphire pulled open the door. Gold tumbled in, followed by a taller boy with dark hair and a happy grin. Last were a more serious-looking boy with brown hair and green eyes, and the inquisitive, white-hatted guy from earlier.

"Red!" Blue grinned, rushing into the arms of the dark-haired boy. She grinned over his shoulder at the frowning green-eyed boy, "I missed you, too, Green."

He rolled his eyes at her as she stepped back, while Red smiled at Yellow.

"Hey Yellow, I missed you," he said.

As I watched, Yellow blushed and squeaked back, "I missed you too, Red!"

I exchanged an amused glance with Sapphire, who had hung back with me. It appeared she wasn't particularly close with her buddy, either.

"Introductions," Blue said, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. She turned to the green-eyed boy first, then the dark-haired one, "I'm Blue. This is Green, who's my buddy, and Red, Yellow's buddy. The three of us have been friends since preschool."

Gold cleared his throat, "I'm Gold, Yellow's stepbrother."

Blue looked deliberately at me, and I swallowed, "I'm Crystal, Gold's buddy."

Gold grinned at me, but I ignored him.

"Most of you probably know, but I'm Yellow," Yellow said.

"You all know me. Sapphire." Was all Sapphire said.

"I'm Ruby Cantley, Son of Norman Cantley," the white hat boy announced.

Sapphire snickered, "Nice to meet you, Ruby Cantley, son of Norman Cantley."

"Thank you…um…what was your name again?"

"Sapphire," Sapphire replied, no longer laughing.

"Sorry, I sometimes have trouble with the names of people who I don't consider particularly notable."

Sapphire's eyes seemed to suddenly burn with anger, "Did you just call me _unimportant_?"

Ruby just shrugged, "Basically. Don't take it personally, though."

"You little…!" Sapphire exclaimed. "Who do you think you are?"

"I just told you—" Ruby started to retort, but I stopped listening. Their conversation was just going around in circles.

I took a step back to take a look at what was going on. Across from where Ruby and Sapphire were still arguing, Blue, Yellow, Red, and Green, were talking animatedly about something. As I watched, Blue said something that made both Red and Yellow dissolve into laughter, while Green just shook his head, though his mouth twitched upwards. I thought about going over to join them, but decided against it. They were obviously all very close. I didn't want to interrupt or anything.

"Hey," I jumped as someone spoke from behind me, spinning around only to see Gold leaning casually against the back of the long couch, eating an apple he had grabbed out of the fruit centerpiece on the coffee table in the living room.

"You scared me," I said, taking a deep breath.

He shrugged, "Don't be so jumpy."

"I'm not jumpy," I protested. " _You_ scare me."

"Sheesh," Gold breathed. "Why are you so mean to me?"

"Uh…let's see," I answered. "You almost knocked me over, made me spill my food, and ran off without apologizing or helping clean up. And then you asked me out. And in case you're wondering, I'm _still_ hungry, thanks to you."

In response, Gold just offered me his half-eaten apple.

"Uh, no thanks," I waved it away in disgust. "You _bit_ out of it."

Gold raised an eyebrow, "Germophobe, too, huh?"

I just glared at him.

He held up his hands, "Alright, starve, then. I tried."

I looked at my watch to check the time, "I'm sure we'll get dinner soon."

Gold nodded, "Do you know if we're all going out or if we ordered food?"

"What?" I was lost.

"For meals," Gold explained. "We can either order school food to be delivered to the house, or we can walk over to the village to go to the restaurants there, though they're going to be crowded. They always are when people don't have homework.

"Have you been here before?" I asked, surprised he was so knowledgeable.

"No, but my cousins have," Gold said. "They told me a lot when I was little."

"Oh," Was all I replied with, not knowing what else to say. I would have thought Yellow would have told him about Ashton, being his sister, after all.

"I take it you don't have any relatives who've been here?"

I shook my head, wondering whether he'd act any different towards me if he knew I wasn't from some rich family. Not that I cared. I fully planned to avoid Gold as much as physically possible.

Gold just grinned widely at me, "Don't worry, I'll look out for you!"

"Great," I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

He smirked, "That's what Buddies are for, right?"

I was mildly surprised he had actually listened to Ms. Roxanne before I suddenly remembered something, "Oh!"

"What?"

"I remembered something else I'm angry with you about," I exclaimed. "You made me make a bad first impression with Ms. Roxanne."

Gold looked incredulous, " _That_ made your list? Who cares?"

" _I_ do," I said. "If I want to get the best learning experience possible, I have to make a good impression."

"Learning?" Gold scoffed. "I'm just here for the sports."

I shook my head, "Why? Sports won't get you to college."

"They will if you get a scholarship," Gold shrugged. "And I'm not even sure I want to go to college."

"So, you want to be a professional athlete," I stated.

Gold nodded, "Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, hardly anyone makes it as an athlete, and you should have a backup plan, because of injuries and all, and—"

"Ok, Super Serious Gal. Thanks for the life advice. I'm good now."

" _Don't_ call me that," I said warningly.

"And I'm guessing you're one of those straight A students who wants to change the world?"

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

Gold shrugged again, "Nothing, but you might want to try out some sport. It'll look better on your college application."

"Thank you for that," I said, surprised. "But I think I'll find a club to join instead."

"Is there some reason you hate sports? Have you ever played anything?" Gold asked.

"I…don't hate sports, and I…never mind," I cut myself off before finishing my sentence. "I just think they only lead to disappointment and injury."

"What about friendship from working with a team. What about the happiness from victory?" Gold asked. "Do those not count or something?"

I just sighed, "Not worth it."

"Wow," Gold leaned back. "Somebody must have had a traumatic experience with sports when she was little."

I didn't answer. He didn't need to know.

"How's it going over here?" Blue said, cutting into our little conversation to check in.

"Great!" Gold exclaimed, at the same time as I said, "It's not."

Blue raised an eyebrow, but continued anyway, "We were thinking of going over to the Wolf Den for dinner tonight. They're serving pizza. Does that sound good to you guys?"

Gold and I both nodded.

"What's the Wolf Den?" Gold asked. I was mildly surprised he didn't already know. "Is that in the Village?"

Blue grinned and shook her head, "The Wolf Den is right in Wolf territory. We can't have Eagles and Lynxes sneaking in, can we? It's very exclusive.

"It's kind of a hangout spot for Wolves, and it also serves food. The Eagles and the Lynxes have one in their territories too. The Eagle Nest and…well, who cares what the Lynx place is called!"

"The Wolf Den is the best, though," Red added.

Blue smirked, "Obviously. Who wants gourmet bird food, anyway? And everyone knows the Lynxes exist solely on a diet of lies and deceit."

"Yum," Gold said randomly.

"Uh…let's go then!" Red said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving."

He had no idea.

* * *

The walk to the Wolf Den was a pleasant one. I walked next to Sapphire, who had finally ended her argument with Ruby, and enjoyed looking around the immense campus.

We started by passing row after row of the same beautiful houses as the one we were staying in, but eventually entered a beautiful garden that I had briefly seen during my tour. It was large and breathtaking, filled with flowers of every color, shape, and smell imaginable. Bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds fluttered through the air, and a few picnic tables stood in the perfectly trimmed grass.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Pretty, huh?" Sapphire agreed. "We share it with the Eagle Team. If you head left to the end of the garden, you'll end up in Eagle Territory."

We continued straight across, to the opposite side of the garden, and pushed open a big, wooden gate. On the other side was a good sized wooden building illuminated by twinkling string lights. Behind the building, a forest stretched out into the darkness of dusk. The wall facing us was made entirely out of glass, allowing us to see inside, to where people relaxed inside on comfy, cushioned chairs and sleek wooden tables. In the back, people seemed to be lined up to order food. Altogether, it was a pretty nice setup. I could see why Blue and the others seemed to like this place so much.

"C'mon," Sapphire called from the door, snapping me out of thought. Everyone had already headed in. "I'm hungry!"

"Coming," I replied, stepping into the Wolf Den and quickly following Sapphire back to the line for food. We all ordered and picked up our pizzas and headed out the back door of the Wolf Den, Sapphire struggling to carry the two whole pizzas she had ordered for herself. As we passed by the tables of other Wolves, people would call out the upperclassmen's names in greeting. Everyone seemed to know Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow, and it became clear to me that, at least among the Wolves, they were pretty popular. Sapphire was occasionally greeted as well, but not as much as the others, probably because she hadn't been a Wolf last year.

Outside the back door, wooden picnic tables like those in the garden were arranged behind the building. A fence separated the back area of the Wolf Den from the forest behind it, and more students sat at the tables, enjoying dinner in the fresh, evening air.

We were just setting out pizzas down on an empty table when a deafening shriek filled the air, so loud that it was all I could do not to cover my ears and duck my head.

" _RED!"_ a pretty, red-haired girl jumped up from a nearby table, sprinted over, and literally jumped on Red. He stumbled backwards, and for a moment, I was scared he would actually fall over, but he regained his balance and gently attempted to pry the girl off of him.

"Hey, Misty!" Red said. Behind him, Blue and Green exchanged a furtive glance. I wondered what it could be about.

"Red," the redhead, Misty, repeated, finally putting her feet on the ground. "I missed you _so_ much!"

"I missed you too, Misty," Red said, sounding sincere, but also sort of like a robot.

"I have _so_ much to tell you. I can't believe I haven't seen you since your birthday last month!" Misty bubbled. "So much has happened since then. Can I sit with you guys? Ooh, new people!"

Misty sat down without receiving a reply, pulling Red down next to her. Blue sat on her other side, so I sat down across from them with Yellow. After all, we were all sharing a pizza. Gold sat on my other side before I could stop him, leaving Green as a buffer between Ruby and Sapphire, who perhaps got along even worse than Gold and me.

"Yeah, we have two new housemates this year!" Red said, now starting to sound more enthusiastic. "Ruby and Gold are both freshmen, and their buddies are Crystal and…you know Sapphire!"

Misty smiled at Sapphire, who smiled back perfectly politely. I would have thought the two were on good terms if not for the strange qualities of their exchange. Their smiles were too wide, like sharks, and their eyes narrowed as they stared at each other. I blinked in surprise and wondered what that could be about.

"Wow, that's great!" Misty gushed. "It's nice to meet you Gold, Crystal, and Ruby."

"Nice to meet you, too," we all replied.

"I'm Misty," Misty replied as an afterthought. "Red's girlfriend."

Beside me, Yellow suddenly became very focused on her pizza. I remembered then how she had acted when talking to Red back at the house. Was it possible Yellow had feelings for Red, too?

Across the table, Blue caught my eye and read my confused expression.

"Later," she mouthed, her eyes flicking first to Misty, then to Yellow. I guessed I was right in guessing there was something going on.

"So, Yellow," Misty said, suddenly drawing attention to the blonde girl beside me, who seemed to want nothing more than to disappear. "How was your summer?"

"Great!" Yellow smiled so brightly that I wondered if I had just imagined her misery moments before. "My uncle and I were on our boat for most of the summer. I learned so much about fishing!"

"Oh, right!" Misty smiled, a little condescending. "I forgot that your uncle was a _fisherman._ "

She said the word like it was some sort of vile curse, and my opinion of her instantly went downhill.

"Yes, he is," Yellow said simply. "And he loves what he does."

I was amazed by how easily Yellow had handled the situation. Something about it made me think she'd had lots of practice.

"I guess we all have to do _something_ ," Misty shrugged. "Well, it's just too bad you were out fishing all of July. You missed Red's birthday!"

Yellow cringed back, looking as if she had just been hit, "I-I- didn't… I…would've come, b-but…"

"Yellow told me before she left on her trip that she wouldn't be able to make it," Red told Misty, saving Yellow. "I completely understood. But we still went out to celebrate before Yellow left."

Blue put her face in her hands.

"What?" Misty said, trying to look calm. "You didn't tell me about that, Red!"

"I…didn't think you'd be interested," Red replied, looking confused.

"Hmph," Misty glared. "Well, I'll see you all later. I've just remembered I have an urgent errand to run."

She stood up and stalked off haughtily, chin in the air. Beside me, Gold let out a low whistle.

"You've got a keeper, there, man," He said to Red.

"She's…actually really nice," Red replied, scratching the back of his neck. He looked over at Green, then Blue for help.

Green shrugged noncommittally. I realized I hadn't heard him speak yet.

"Yeah, she can be nice," Blue said thoughtfully. "Sometimes."

Red frowned at her, but I saw what she was saying. It seemed to me that Misty was one of those people who was brought up in a certain way. She was raised to appreciate certain people, and look down on others. To some, she might seem like the kindest person on the planet, while to other, she might be rude.

"I should go after her, right?" Red sighed, looking a bit regretful.

"She's your girlfriend," Blue replied, like that was an answer.

"So, yes?" Red asked. Blue nodded, and he slowly stood up and walked off. I watched him go thoughtfully.

Blue saw my gaze, "Ever heard of an arranged marriage?"

"Of course," I answered her.

She nodded towards where Red had headed off, "His parents and her parents work together. They co-own and run a very successful company. They use _that_ as an example of the harmony and peaceful cooperation that helps the company get business done."

"So he's pretty much stuck in that relationship. If he were to break up with her, he'd disappoint his parents and maybe even cause problems for their company," I guessed, suddenly feeling very bad for Red.

Blue nodded, "But it's not like we can completely blame it on his parents, though. She asked him out. He could've said no. Obviously, he didn't. I mean, they've been friends for a while, and maybe he liked her at first…Maybe he still likes her. I don't know. It's hard to say with that one."

I nodded, starting to understand. However…my eyes flickered over to Yellow, who was still only picking at her food, than back to Blue inquisitively.

Blue's only response was a quick warning glance. I guessed I wouldn't learn anything about _that_ right now.

"That sucks," Gold said from where he had been listening in on the conversation. "I'm going to get another pizza."

I shook my head, while Sapphire grinned appreciatively at Gold, "He has a good appetite!"

She shot a meaningful look to where Ruby was cutting a single slice of pizza into triangular pieces with a knife and fork.

"I don't believe in finger food," Ruby replied simply, then grimaced. "Imagine getting that red sauce on your clothes! Besides, silverware is useless if not used."

Sapphire just looked at him, her face showing that she was most likely questioning his sanity.

"So, Crys?" Yellow said, finally looking up from her plate. "How was your first day on campus?"

"Good," I smiled. I would've said it was great no matter what, just because I didn't want to disappoint her, but in this case, I didn't have to lie. Yeah, I missed home, but the campus of Ashton was truly breathtaking, and our house and the school seemed great. The food was good, and the people…well, besides Gold, they didn't seem bad at all.

My new friends smiled contentedly at my response and I dug into another piece of pizza, wondering what the next day would bring.

Blue read my mind, "Well it's good you had a good day today, because tomorrow, you've got Freshman orientation, and you're going to get your schedules and materials!"

Gold and Sapphire both groaned, but I just smiled.

Tomorrow, the start of my future would begin…

* * *

 **And...done! Thank you for continuing to read! I'm already done with the next chapter, but I would _love_ to get some feedback on the latest chapter or anything at all! The only way I'm going to be able to make this story better is by knowing what I should fix/improve. So, if I get two more reviews, I'll update early. Favs and Follows are also appreciated :) **

**Thanks again,**

 **Indigo**


	6. An Unhappy Introduction

**Hey, Readers! To be honest, I kind of forgot all about this story for the last couple of months, or I would have updated a little sooner, maybe. Also, I had an issue with my computer and lost a lot of work, so I had to rewrite some stuff. Anyways, here's chapter six. Finally, new POVs!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

Chapter Six

Blue

I'm not going to lie, it was ten times weirder being back at Ashton as a junior than it was as a sophomore. All of a sudden, I was on the top. I mean, there were still the seniors, but not in our house. Because of the growing number of students attending the school, Yellow and I had gotten two new freshies instead.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. If I could have requested a housemate, I would've chosen Sapphire, and Crys seems pretty cool, too. Besides, Blue Montgomery belongs at the top. Among us Wolves, it's basically a fact. Anyone who could lead last year's soccer team to a victory against the Lynx Team would've been automatically written down in the record books.

But, I mean, it wasn't exactly hard to beat Scarlet Delmore. She was nothing but a joke.

Damn. Scarlet is gone, but I still can't control the thoughts of revenge that keep flooding through my brain. I wasn't ready to be confronted like Scarlet had attacked me last year, but if that girl walked through the front door right at this minute, I would be almost happy to wipe that monster's face in the dirt.

Right on cue, a knock sounded on the door to the house. I sprang up from the couch I had been sitting on and crossed to the door, almost expecting to see straightened red hair and green eyes not unlike a snake's. Instead, a softer pair green eyes greeted me, along with a familiar frown.

"Green," I greeted my buddy. "Hi."

Green nodded at me, and I wondered if he had gotten taller. Both Red and he had sprouted up like weeds over the last couple of years. Now he had to be around six feet, while Red was an inch or two taller. I, of course, remained at my completely average 5'6'', and had to experience going from the same height as my two childhood best friends to being dwarfed by them both.

"So, how can I help you?" I asked.

Green narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Did you forget about the Meet-and-Greet?"

My mouth widened in surprise. The Meet-and-Greet was a yearly event that occurred the day before school began for both new and returning students of all three Teams. It was like every year, staff came back to school with renewed hope that the wolves, lynxes, and eagles would get along. I say renewed, because it dies as soon as school starts, and the competitions begin. I almost wish I could explain to the staff that we are just like our counterparts in the wild. We're all top predators, which means in order to survive, we compete.

It's just our way of life.

"I…Yes. I forgot all about it!" I marveled to Green, shocked I wasn't as on top of it as I had always been in previous years. "I guess I was worrying so much about getting my two new freshman all set up for orientation that it totally slipped my mind! Give me ten minutes to get ready."

Every Meet-and-Greet, Green, Red, Yellow, and I arrived together and stuck together, taking advantage of the refreshments and steering clear of the Lynx Team until we were allowed to leave. It was an almost foolproof strategy, and it appeared we were going to go for a repeat this year.

Green looked at me and shrugged, "You look fine already."

Considering this was coming from Green, it was actually a pretty nice compliment.

"Thanks," I said, before looking down and realizing in horror that I was wearing nothing but loose flowery shorts and a plain white tee-shirt. "But I can't wear _this!_ Talk about bad first impressions."

Green rolled his eyes.

"What?" I frowned at him. "People care what you wear."

"Fine," Green sighed. "But only ten minutes. My grandfather will be unhappy with me if I'm late."

He stepped inside and took a seat on the couch, looking pointedly at his watch. Wasting no time, I shot for the stairs, yelling a quick thank you over my shoulder, and quickly changed and brushed my hair to look more presentable. In a flash, I was back downstairs and ready to go.

"See, that didn't take long at all," I smiled cheekily at Green and headed to the door. "Ready to go?"

"You're two minutes late," Green frowned, but followed me out. I locked up after him. I was alone at the house as Crystal and Sapph had left for Freshman Orientation and Yellow had headed off for the forest with her sketchpad. "Red's going to find Yellow, and they'll meet us at the event."

I nodded, "Sounds good…"

My eyes widened and I trailed off as I took in the scene in front of me. Everything looked normal, from the identical houses across the street to the neatly mowed yards and clean street. Everything, that is, except for the solar powered golf cart that was parked in front of the house, "Is that yours?"

Golf carts were the hot items at Ashton. Only a limited number were allowed on campus for transportation, and most went to the staff or students with disabilities. Only a few openings were left for students to have one of the vehicles at school, and in order to get one, you had to have connections within the school. Otherwise, you were stuck with either walking or biking.

Green shrugged, "A gift from my grandfather."

Green's grandfather was Professor Oak, a teacher at Ashton and a well-known scientist in the outside world. Green definitely had connections.

"Wow," I whistled. "I hope you understand the responsibility that comes with owning a vehicle like this."

"What?" Green looked puzzled. "I have a license."

"Huh?" I blinked. "No, I meant you have to give me a ride everywhere now!"

Green shook his head, rolling his eyes, "So annoying…"

I just smirked as I plopped down in the passenger seat, "Aw, you know you love me."

Was it my imagination, or did Green blush?

" _Very_ deep down," Green muttered, starting up the cart. I shook my head. Nope, I had definitely imagined it.

He started up the cart, and we sped off towards the Meet-and-Greet, which, though I didn't know it at the time, would be where the year's rivalry between Wolves and Lynxes began.

* * *

The Meet-and-Greet was already crowded when we arrived, so it was lucky that Red and Yellow had saved us a table. Crowds of people grouped together, mainly by team, though it was impossible to tell what team the new students were on as no one was in uniform yet. Teachers and staff members roamed through the crowd as well, introducing themselves to students or just talking amongst themselves.

Green and I sat down across from Red and Yellow and ordered drinks, while I scanned the crowd for our younger students.

"Have you guys seen our freshman?" I asked Red and Yellow. "Do they even know where we are?"

Yellow shook her head worriedly, "No, I haven't seen them."

"Yeah, I don't know what happened to them," Red said. "I told Gold where we were, and he was supposed to tell the others."

Yellow and I exchanged a glance.

"Well, there's your problem," I shook my head.

Red looked very confused.

"Gold has a habit of not really paying attention half the time," Yellow said, smiling sympathetically. "He probably wasn't listening."

"Oh," Red frowned. "So now what do we do?"

Green sighed, surveying the large crowd, "There's no way we'll spot them from here. Somebody will have to go look for them."

Yellow and Red opened their mouths to volunteer, but I was faster. I knew Yellow hated crowds and she was too small to see anything anyway, and, despite his height, Red would probably end up getting lost, "I'll go."

"You sure?" Red said. "Because I'm fine with going, too."

"Me, too," Yellow said, though she looked a little pale at the thought of heading into the mass of bodies.

Green didn't bother saying anything. I knew he'd go if I asked him to, but Green wasn't a fan of crowds either.

"It's okay, guys. I'll be back before you know it," I winked, hopping up from the table and heading into the fray, just hoping I could find them quickly.

"Blue! Hey, Blue!"

"We missed you, Blue!"

Members of the Wolf Team greeted me eagerly, grinning in recognition, but there were quite a few frowns as well, coming from the Lynx Team. I guess they didn't appreciate being beaten by the Wolves in most sports last year, and killed by the Eagles academically.

I waved to those greeting me and continued to push through the crowd, straining my eyes for a glimpse of Crys, Sapphire, Ruby, or Gold. At one point, I thought I caught a glimpse of Ruby's white hat, and I headed forward quickly, not realizing that a foot had extended in front of me. I tripped and stumbled forward, falling to the ground just as a loud voice snarled,

"Watch where you're going!"

Someone grabbed my arm, helping me to my feet, and I turned around to thank them, but the words evaporated in my mouth. Crystal had been the one helping me, but behind her…The red hair…the sharp green eyes… It couldn't be…

" _Scarlet?!"_

* * *

Sapphire

The orientation had been even worse than I'd imagined. It had started with a presentation from the teachers, which meant hours forced to silently sit in a crowded room, learning about…well, learning. When they finally finished, they loaded us up with textbooks and handed us our schedules, then sent us on our merry way to socialize with the other teams at the Meet-and-Greet.

In other words, it was half a day of hell, and the second half didn't seem all that great either.

"Sapphire, you've lived on campus," Crystal was saying to me, not for the first time. "You know the area better than any of us, and the people. If you see anyone you know is a Wolf, let us know. We can ask if they've seen the others."

We had been wandering through the crowd at the Meet-and-Greet for what seemed like hours, in search of our housemates. It was hot already, and the crowds of people didn't help. Besides that, we hadn't had lunch and I was _hungry_!

Needless to say, no one was in a great mood.

I had already spotted a few wolves, but they hadn't yielded any information. I knew it was because at events like these, our older students liked to keep a low profile. The Wolves I'd talked to just hadn't seen them.

"Sorry, but I don't know everyone at the school," I said, trying not to sound too harsh. "I just lived with my dad. It wasn't like I spent that much time socializing with the students. I only met Blue and the others by chance. So don't expect me to know everything."

I instantly regretted saying the last part. Crys was new here. She didn't know how things worked yet.

Her face seemed to fall, and her voice was a bit uncertain, "I shouldn't have assumed…I'm sorry, Sapphire."

"Serious Gal was just trying—" Gold started saying, just as I opened my mouth to apologize.

He was interrupted by Crys, who seemed to burn with anger as she rounded on him growling, " _You!_ We wouldn't even be in this mess if you had just listened! …And stop calling me that stupid nickname!"

"Wha…?!" Gold spluttered as Crystal shoved past him. He shouted after her. "I was on your side! I was just trying to say that you were just trying to help!"

We stared at Crystal's retreating figure before Ruby stepped forward to follow Crystal, patting Gold's back as he stepped by. I followed Ruby, leaving Gold staring after Crystal with a dumbstruck look on his face. As I passed, he shook his head as if to clear it and followed me.

We walk for what seemed like twenty more hours (though Ruby assured me it was only ten minutes) before Ruby stopped abruptly in front of me, causing me to slam into his back. Behind me, Gold skidded to a halt to avoid doing the same.

"Watch it," I glared at Ruby. "What were you—"

Ruby cut over me by simply pointing ahead. Only a few steps away was Blue, cutting through the crowd ahead of us. She hadn't seen us yet, but was heading our way. Relieved, I opened my mouth to call for her, and that's when it happened.

Blue tripped over something in her path and careened forward, waving her arms in circles to regain her balance. She fell to the ground and Crys ran forward to help her up. As she stood, she looked up, probably to thank Crys, but her words seemed to freeze up in her throat as her eyes became fixed on something behind Crys, widening in…horror? Then, she spoke a word I'd hoped I'd never hear again,

" _Scarlet?!"_

"No way…" I turned to ice. It couldn't be. Scarlet Delmore had graduated, thank the heavens.

"You okay?" Gold squinted at me, maybe noticing how stiff I'd become.

I didn't answer. I just pushed towards Blue and Crys. Now, Blue stood facing a strangely familiar figure, Crystal holding her arm to help her balance. That red hair…

"Uh, no," The girl said disdainfully. Her answer didn't compute. That was _Scarlet's_ voice. "You have me confused with…Wait a second, are you Blue Montgomery?"

It seemed Blue's voice had failed her. I took a step closer, and was able to see Not-Scarlet's face. At first, it was Scarlet through and through, but as I looked closer, I could see the differences. The girl was a bit shorter, with a rounder face and a fuller figure. No, it wasn't Scarlet. But they had to be related.

Blue's voice may have failed her, but one of the girls had a lot of sound left. I recognized her as a housemate of Scarlet. She had always been following Scarlet around, basking in her shadow and the popularity it gave her, "Yeah, that's her. She doesn't look so perfect now, though. What happened, Blue? Did you fall?"

She acted all concerned, but it was easy to see through _that_ act.

"Quiet, Peri," an authoritative voice snapped, and a willowy girl with honey colored hair pushed past Not-Scarlet and the other girl, Peri. She smirked as her eyes fell back on Blue and Crys. "So this is the girl who destroyed Scarlet Delmore's reputation. I'll admit, I thought you'd be a bit less of an eyesore."

The girl's friends chuckled, and I pushed to Blue's side. If they wanted a fight, they'd get one. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gold and Ruby standing off to the side, looking very unsure of themselves.

The girl's gaze fell on me, and I was struck by the piercing blue of her icy eyes. She had the kind of stare that made you want to climb into a hole and never come out. That didn't mean I was going to, though. It would take a lot more than a look to bring down Sapphire Birch.

"And this must be Sapphire," the girl smiled. "You match Scarlet's description perfectly."

I had a feeling I didn't want to know what Scarlet's description was.

"Who even are you?" Blue glared at the girl, taking a step away from Crys and I and closer to the honey haired she-demon.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I totally forgot to introduce myself," The smirk never left her face. "I'm Citrine Bellingham, Scarlet's best friend."

We all stared at her in shock. I wondered if anyone else was going to say it.

"Scarlet didn't have friends," Blue deadpanned.

"None here. None that you knew," Citrine smiled indulgingly. "But now you do. I'm _very_ pleased to meet you, Blue, Sapphire, and…"

Her gaze landed on Crys in momentary confusion, before it started to clear, "And you must be the new housemate. Crystal, is it?"

"So you're stalking us, too?" I growled in anger as, beside me, Crystal blinked in shock.

"You're not worth my time," Citrine waved them off. "Not when I can easily ask my father for a look through the student records."

"Bellingham. Where have I heard—" Blue's eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "You're related to the principal?"

"Well done," Citrine smiled. "I'm his daughter."

I was shocked. I had no idea the principal of Ashton had a daughter.

"I just transferred here this year. I'm a junior," Citrine informed them. "Just like you, Blue."

It was actually really creepy that the principal's daughter seemed to know everything about us.

"It's disturbing that you know that," Blue smiled a fake smile.

"Oh, Blue. Don't be so rude," Citrine pouted, putting on a hurt face, before it slipped back to that insufferable smirk. "Let me introduce you to the rest of my housemates."

"Because we really want to know," I muttered sarcastically. Blue nudged me in the side to quiet me.

"You probably recognize Peridot Blanton as one of Scarlet's housemates from last year. She's a sophomore," Citrine gestured to the girl she had told to be quiet earlier. She didn't seem particularly pretty compared to the other, more glamorous girls, but it was hard to make out any distinguishing features as they were covered in layer after layer of makeup. And judging by her snide comments and narrowed eyes, she wasn't a particularly pretty person on the inside either. "This is Topaz Ayre and Opal Delmore, our freshmen."

Topaz was incredibly pretty, with hazel eyes, sun-kissed skin and golden ringlets you could tell were natural, but she didn't seem particularly focused on the conversation. I assumed she was just another dumb girl who didn't care about anything except popularity and how she looked.

And then there was the Scarlet lookalike, Opal. Whose full red lips had pursed together in a frown. She was so much like Scarlet, and yet there was something different about the way the girl carried herself, some other look in her eyes. I just couldn't place it, but after the initial shock, it became so much easier to tell that this girl, Opal, was no Scarlet.

"Topaz's mother run a very successful modelling agency. She used to be a model herself," Citrine explained. Topaz nodded with a little smile. _Modelling._ I sneered at that. I looked down on the way that business got to decide who was beautiful, and despised the airheaded, stick-thin girls that bought into it all. I saw Topaz's smile falter at my obvious disdain.

Citrine turned to Opal, "And Opal is Scarlet's younger sister, as you might've guessed."

"No offense, but we don't really care," I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. "We have somewhere to be."

"Somewhere besides the Meet-and-Greet?" Opal raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"No, just somewhere besides here, with you," Blue glared. "I haven't done anything to any of you, and my friends haven't either. Just let us go."

"It's not what you've done to us. It's what you've done to my sister," Opal stared back unflinchingly.

"That's right," Citrine stepped to Opal's side, " _You_ made Scarlet's life a living hell, and we're prepared to get you back this year."

"I think it's the other way around," Blue tried to explain, but I knew it was useless. I saw in their faces that there was nothing we could do to convince these girls we weren't the villains Scarlet had painted us as. They didn't want to believe it, so they wouldn't.

Citrine's smile grew, though her eyes were still cold, "Say whatever it takes to make you feel good about yourself, Blue. Just be sure to watch your back this year."

With a wink, Citrine and her little group had disappeared into the crowd again, almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Blue turned to me with a tired look in her eyes, "Well, I guess this year isn't going to be quite what we thought."

* * *

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